Khekiye K Sema IAS (Rtd)
3rd Mile Thilixu Village, Chümoukedima
On October 31St 2013 ACAUT had sent out a clarion call appealing to all the NNPGs to bury their egoistic differences in the greater interest of the National Movement and for the sake of the greater good of the people by forming one United Front failing which the Naga people across the board should refuse to pay any Tax. It was on that day that the slogan for “One Government, one Tax” was launched. Unfortunately this movement could not be sustained. Today, it is like another breath of fresh air with AYO picking up this flag where ACAUT had left off! Kudos to AYO for their bold and courageous stand, not only against the so-called NSCN/GPRN (Khango) Faction, but more so for reiterating the 1993 resolution of the APO. I say so without any reservation as a matter of principle not against Khongo’s Faction alone but all the Factions searching for Naga Sovereignty in the Naga kitchen.
My generation vividly recalls the past history of the Naga National Movement when ‘life and death’ physical confrontation with the Indian Army had begun, starting from mid-1956. It was then a remarkable collective journey of honor for the Nagas as a whole. Despite village after village being gutted and raised to the ground; despite ruthless inhuman cruelty being inflicted upon the populace with unimaginable savagery by the Indian Army, the general Naga population unwaveringly stood behind our ragtag National workers. Despite their ill equipped and desperate need for arms and ammunitions and even ration for their survival, our first generation national workers still generally kept taxation to the limits the masses were able of bearing. It was because of such pragmatic understanding and devotional sense of real nationalism therefore, our first generation National workers were looked upon as heroes and highly respected down to a sepoy.
The transition from then to now is like night and day. While our first generations workers lived in makeshift shelters out in the open jungles, today the majority of our middle and upper echelons ‘national workers’ are living in comfort zone flaunting around their ill gotten wealth. There are no recognizable laid down system of taxation; there is nothing National in the manner of their tax collection other the sovereignty threat at gunpoint; Every next member of any given Factions is a ‘Sovereignty tax collector’ out to construct their individual ‘sovereignty house’, buy their individual ‘sovereignty vehicle’ and more. For a change, it is heartening to see that some of our Youth Tribal Organizations along with BAN have also come out in the open to back AYO. That’s laudable! Keep it up!!!
It is imperative for all the Factions to clearly understand that the National Movement has survived thus far because of the mass support that had existed then but is fast diminishing to a vanishing point simply for the fact that all the Factions are now senselessly torturing and suffocating the goose that has been laying their golden eggs. Even as of now the Naga masses are not against the principle of self-determination…but voices are being raised against their ‘out of control’ multiple taxation in the name of “sovereignty” causing skyrocketing cost escalation of essential commodities in the market. Put in simple unadulterated term, the so-called “Sovereignty Tax” has now become nothing else but an illegal extortion for self aggrandizement at gunpoint as seen at the ground zero.
In this connection the Government was compelled by ACAUT to set up a High Powered Committee (HPC) headed by Justice H.K. Sema, Supreme Court Judge (Rtd): “to undertake a detailed study on price rise due to illegal and unauthorized collection of money by various organizations, groups, unions and agencies including government agencies” among others. The HPC conducted an exhaustive study and submitted its report and recommendations on 29th May 2015. As was expected…this report is only collecting dust somewhere in the State Government archive. As a member of this HPC I am prepared to testify that this report contains vast evidential records of how the Factions are carrying out their unbridled taxations. It also indicts government departments being involved in not only abating but also actually paying such tax to the Factions from the development funds. It is no wonder therefore, that despite the present tension the State Government is keeping quiet because it is a guilty party as well in one form or another.
Though just a mere private senior citizen, I wholeheartedly support AYO’s stand on the issue of Factions’ uncontrolled taxation under threat of capital punishment. It is a standard unpalatable practice common to all Factions afloat. Normally even if the Government is unprepared to take any action in a matter such as this, one would expect all our Tribal Apex Hohos, as representatives of their people, to shoulder some honorable responsibility and determinedly stand up together against an issue that is hurting all without exception. The common man, especially the younger generation, is now getting crippled by the load of this “self serving extortion in the name of sovereignty” by the Factions who have shamelessly reduced themselves to a status of “Organized Mafia Factions” (OMFs).
It’s now up to the younger generation, not only AYO but from every Tribe, to stand up together for their collective future and be counted. Only a united stand can produce a tangible result. Expecting the State Government of Nagaland to protect the rights of its citizen is like asking the river to flow upstream.
